"Inspired by conscientious artists who shunned Sun City in apartheid South Africa in the 1980s, Palestinian artists and cultural organizations have called for nonviolent pressure in the form of boycotts on Israel until it complies with its obligations under global law".

Madonna issued a statement on Tuesday, ahead of her expected arrival in TelAviv for a performance at the Eurovision event.

Rebuffing the pressure, Madonnasaid she would "never stop playing music to suit someone's political agenda".

Madonna, 60, will stage two songs in Tel Aviv, including one from her forthcoming album Madame X, which is set to be released in June.

But politics and controversy, as well as security concerns, have threatened to overshadow the competition, especially after a flare up of violence between militants in Gaza and the Israeli Army last week.

Seventeen worldwide acts will take to the stage but only 10 will make it to the 26-strong grand final on Saturday May 18.

HTC Exodus 1s Places Blockchain On A Tight Budget
Though the specification hasn't yet been released for the device, the retail price is touted to be between $250 and $300. Moreover, it will ship with an extra SD card, in order to better support the phone's blockchain capabilities.

Madonna, who has studied Kabbalah with the Kabbalah Center in Los Angeles, included Israel in her 2009 and 2012 world tours, and in 2004 took on the Hebrew name "Esther", although she has not formally converted to Judaism. "I'm really happy to be here", said Cypriot singer Tamta, the first artist to stroll the walkway flanked by visiting photographers and reporters.

"We have an artist who would like to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, and who we would love to welcome on that stage".

"I hope and pray that we will soon break free from this bad cycle of destruction and create a new path towards peace", she added.

Hatari's performance came after Australia's Kate Miller-Heidke, another favourite to win.

It is unclear who was behind the attack, although some reports have speculated pro-Palestinian groups in Arab countries might have been involved.

Earlier this week Madonna confirmed she will bring her Madame X theatre tour to the United Kingdom next year.

In response to Madonna's statement, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel has responded, calling Eurovision an "artwashing" of "Israel's brutal oppression of Palestinians".

Attorney General William Barr speaks during a farewell ceremony for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at the U.S. The Durham inquiry is separate from an investigation by the Justice Department's Inspector General.

A powerful natural disaster has stuck Papua New Guinea , triggering a tsunami alert for coastal areas up to 1,000km away. Tsunami Warning system, saying "based on all available data.hazardous Tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts".

This obviously hints at a PC release for this latest Rockstar game , though 2K Games has not announced anything yet. Red Dead Redemption 2 shipped 17 million copies right at launch , with a further six million coming by November.

Kraft's attorneys are expected to file a motion to dismiss the case based on a lack of evidence, ESPN's T.J. National Football League officials have said they are watching the case, but have not disciplined Kraft.

SpaceX is another step closer to launching satellites into the atmosphere to provide the world with widespread internet coverage . The Federal Communications Commission has issued SpaceX permission to launch two groups of satellites for the Starlink project.

If you're not happy with the way " Game of Thrones " is ending and you're a " Star Wars " fan, well, step away from the computer. As for Rian Johnson's new trilogy, there has been no confirmation as to when those films may be slated for release.

Markle probably had a great first Mother's Day , and it was nice that she shared a post featuring Archie for followers to enjoy. Meghan Markle , the Duchess of Sussex, celebrated her first Mother's Day Sunday, six days after giving birth .

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